Beauty shops, some barber shops and certain other facilities specialize in the care of and treatment of hair. This typically includes such procedures as shampooing, dyeing or coloring, and permanents, among others. Such procedures are usually carried out by the operator when the customer is seated in a chair. Then the hair must be carefully rinsed to wash out all the chemicals from the customer's hair. During the rinsing process, the customer typically leans her/his head back over a sink or bowl and maintains it in that position for extended periods of time, i.e. 10 minutes, usually without substantial support. This frequently proves to be quite uncomfortable for the customer, depending on the length of time the customer must maintain her/his head in that awkward position.
Beauty shop operators have been aware of this particular problem and have looked for solutions. Articles for decreasing the discomfort of and supporting the head of the customer during such procedures are known. One example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,537 to Schnell. Another example is shown in German Pat. No. 477,068. The articles shown in those patents, as well as others, however, have one or more disadvantages. Some of the articles, for instance, are not very effective in supporting the head of the customer, while others are cumbersome to use and still others are expensive to manufacture and therefor impractical.
Hence, there is a need for a simple, relatively inexpensive article which can be conveniently used to support the head of a customer during extended rinsing procedures and the like and which can be readily cleaned and conveniently stored when not in actual use.